Interchangeable Wedged Heel Covering Device

ABSTRACT

The interchangeable wedged heel covering device for modifying the appearance of footwear, thereby enabling a user to wear a single pair of shoes in a variety of styles. The interchangeable wedged heel covering device includes a heel cover that removably secures to the surface of a wedged heel. The heel cover is composed of a rigid material so as to form to the corresponding shape of the heel. The heel cover includes a lip disposed along the upper edge in order to stabilize and prevent movement of the device while in use. In an alternative embodiment, the device is composed of flexible material having an adhesive disposed on the interior thereof so as to removably secure the heel cover to the heel. The lower end of the device further includes one or more removable sections so as to adjust the length of the heel cover to fit various sized heels.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/026,206 filed on Jul. 18, 2014. The above identified patentapplication is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety toprovide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an interchangeable wedged heel coveringdevice. More specifically, the present invention provides aninterchangeable wedged heel covering device comprising a heel coveradapted to removably secure to a wedged heel of a shoe. The heel covercomprises a lip extending along the upper edge thereof and adapted tofit within a groove positioned between the heel and the shoe portion ofthe shoe. The heel cover is composed of a rigid material in order toform to the corresponding shape of the heel and snap thereon. In analternative embodiment, the heel cover is composed of a flexiblematerial having an adhesive disposed on the interior surface thereof.The interchangeable wedged heel covering device further comprises one ormore sections removably attached to the lower end thereof, such that thelength of the heel cover can be adjusted.

Many women own multiple pairs of shoes in order to suit differentoutfits in a wardrobe. In addition to pairing footwear with similarlystyled clothing, women enjoy coordinating their shoes with variousaccessories, such as purses, scarves, and the like. However, a woman isrequired to have an extensive amount of closet space in order to store avariety of shoes that are capable of matching a multitude of differentoutfits and accessories. It is difficult finding closet spacespecifically for shoes comprising a wedged heel because they are bulkierthan many other shoes, such as pointed heeled shoes. However, wedgeheeled shoes are far more comfortable than many pointed heeled shoes dueto the additional foot support provided by the wedged heel.

Not only is finding adequate closet space difficult, but packing thistype of footwear is extremely frustrating due to the limited spaceprovided in most luggage compartments. Having the ability to change thelook of a single pair of shoes is useful for people while traveling,which would allow individuals to carry less luggage if one pair of shoescan be used for multiple outfits. Furthermore, it is expensive tocontinuously purchase new pairs of shoes in order to match a specificcolor or pattern of an outfit or accessory. Therefore, there exists aneed in the prior art for an interchangeable shoe cover adapted toremovably secure to the heel of a wedged shoe.

It is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges indesign elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear thatthere is a need in the art for an improvement to existinginterchangeable wedged heel covering devices. In this regard the instantinvention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofinterchangeable wedged heel covering devices now present in the priorart, the present invention provides a new interchangeable wedged heelcovering device wherein the same can be utilized for providingconvenience for the user when modifying and wearing a pair of wedgeheeled shoes.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved interchangeable wedged heel covering device that has all of theadvantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide aninterchangeable wedged heel covering device comprising a heel coverhaving a shape corresponding to the shape of a wedged heel of a shoe,wherein the heel cover is adapted to removably secure thereto in orderto allow a user to modify the aesthetic appearance of the shoe.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an interchangeablewedged heel covering device wherein the heel cover comprises a lipdisposed along the upper edge thereof and adapted to fit within a groovepositioned between the heel and shoe portion of a shoe.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide aninterchangeable wedged heel covering device wherein the heel cover iscomposed of a rigid material so as to allow the heel cover to snap inplace and allow the contour of the heel cover to match the contour ofthe heel of the shoe in order for the heel cover and lip to removablysecure thereon.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide aninterchangeable wedged heel covering device further comprising, in analternate embodiment, one or more removable sections attached to thelower edge of the heel cover so as to adjust the length thereof in orderto fit various sized heels.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide aninterchangeable wedged heel covering device wherein, in an alternateembodiment, the heel cover is composed of flexible material andcomprises an adhesive disposed on the interior surface thereof so as toallow the heel cover to wrap around and removably secure to the wedgedheel of a shoe.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an interchangeablewedged heel covering device that may be readily fabricated frommaterials that permit relative economy and are commensurate withdurability.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will beparticularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and mannerin which it may be made and used may be better understood after a reviewof the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the interchangeablewedged heel covering device and a shoe comprising a wedged heel.

FIG. 2 shows a top down view of an alternative embodiment of theinterchangeable wedged heel covering device.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theinterchangeable wedged heel covering device wherein the heel cover iswrapped around the heel of a shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like referencenumerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similarelements of the interchangeable wedged heel covering device. For thepurposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the presentinvention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used formodifying the appearance of a shoe having a wedged heel. The figures areintended for representative purposes only and should not be consideredto be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of anembodiment of the interchangeable wedged heel covering device and a shoecomprising a wedged heel. The interchangeable wedged heel coveringdevice 11 comprises a heel cover 12 adapted to be freely added to orremoved from a heel 16 of a wedged shoe 30 in order to create a new shoestyle with a customized design or pattern. The shape of the heel cover12 corresponds to the shape of the heel 16 of a wedged shoe 30. The heelcover 12 comprises an interior surface 13 and an exterior surface 14,wherein the interior surface 13 is adapted to rest flush against theheel 16 of the shoe 30. The exterior surface 14 is adapted to comprise avariety of aesthetically pleasing designs and colors. The heel cover 12is a unitary body and comprises a first section 23 opposing a secondsection 24. The sections 23, 24 are mirror images of one another andeach section 23, 24 is substantially triangular in shape, wherein afirst side of each section 23, 24 is connected by a center piece 25. Thecenter piece 25 is elongated and perpendicularly disposed between thefirst and second section 23, 24, wherein the center piece 25 is adaptedto rest flush against the back side of the heel 16.

The sections 23, 24 and center piece 25 are disposed in a U-shapedconfiguration so as to create a space 28 therebetween. The heel 16 ofthe shoe 30 is adapted to be positioned within the space 28. The heelcover 12 is composed of a rigid material, such as hard plastic, so as toallow the contour of the heel cover 12 to match the contour of the heel16. The space 28 between the first section 23 and the second section 24is adapted to be narrower than the width of the heel 16. In this way,the rigidity and narrowness of the heel cover 12 allows it to be snappedon to the heel 16 and remain in position. The heel cover 12 is acontinuous piece of material, wherein the first section 23, secondsection 24, and center piece 25 are integral to one another.

The upper end 26 of the heel cover 12 is adapted to engage a groove 29positioned between the heel 16 and shoe portion 15 of the footwear. Thecurves along the upper end 26 are adapted to correspond to the curvatureof the groove 29. The lower end of the heel cover 12 is linear andadapted to align with bottom edge of the heel 16. In some embodiments,the upper 26 of the heel cover 12 is linear in order to match a lineargroove 29 of a heel 16.

The interchangeable wedged heel covering device 11 further comprises alip 18 disposed along the upper edge of the heel cover 12. The lip 18extends inward and is adapted to fit within the groove 29 between theheel 16 and the shoe portion 15. In addition to the rigidity of thematerial of the heel cover 12, the lip 18 and groove 29 engagement isadapted to prevent movement of the interchangeable wedged heel coveringdevice 11 while in use, such as when a user is walking. In otherembodiments, the interchangeable wedged heel covering device 11comprises one or more fasteners disposed on the interior of the heelcover 12, thereby providing further securement of the device to the heel16 of the shoe 30. Any suitable fastener can be used, such as adhesiveor hook and loop material.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown a top down view of analternative embodiment of the interchangeable wedged heel coveringdevice and a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theinterchangeable wedged heel covering device wherein the heel cover iswrapped around the heel of a shoe, respectively. In an alternativeembodiment, the interchangeable wedged heel covering device 11 comprisesone or more removable sections 27 horizontally disposed along the loweredge of the heel cover 12. The removable sections 27 allow the length ofthe heel cover 12 to be adjusted in order to fit various sized heels.The removable sections 27 comprise perforations or sewed lines ofconnection 19 that are separable by any suitable means, such as readilyremovable stitching or manual separation. In some embodiments, the linesof connection 19 are provided as fold lines rather than separationlines, thereby providing a guide for a user to fold extraneous outerportions of the interchangeable wedged heel covering device 11 onto theinterior surface 13 of the heel cover 12. In other embodiments, theremovable sections 27 are disposed along any of the sides of the heelcover 12 in order to allow the dimension of the heel cover to beadjusted so as to fit wedged heels of differing proportions. The linesof connection 19 can be linear, curved or other suitable contour inorder to match the corresponding side of the heel in which the heelcover 12 is adapted to align.

In the illustrated alternative embodiment, the heel cover 12 is composedof any suitable flexible material, such as plastic or cloth. Overall,the interchangeable wedged heel covering device 11 is triangular inshape, wherein the heel cover 12 tapers towards the lower ends thereof.The flexibility of the heel cover 12 permits the perforations to beeasily separated and the device 11 to be wrapped around the heel of awedged shoe, wherein the device 11 is adapted to fully cover the wedgedheel of a shoe. The interchangeable wedged heel covering device 11further comprises one or more fasteners adapted to removably secure theinterchangeable wedged heel covering device 11 to the heel. In theillustrated alternative embodiment, the heel cover 12 is removablysecured to the heel of the shoe by an adhesive 21 disposed on theinterior surface 13 thereof. In other embodiments, any suitable fastenercan be used, such as hook and loop material. The interchangeable wedgedheel covering device 11 can be removed from the wedged heel byseparating the heel cover 12 from the heel of the shoe. The material ofthe heel cover 12 is flexible, but the heel cover 12 and the fastenerdisposed on the interior 13 of the heel cover 12 are adapted to bereused.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown anddescribed in what is considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be madewithin the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications willoccur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the abovedescription then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assemblyand use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in theart, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification are intended to beencompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

I claim: 1) An interchangeable wedged heel covering device, comprising:a heel cover comprising an upper end, wherein said heel cover is shapedcorresponding to a shape of a wedged heel of a shoe; wherein said heelcover is composed of a rigid material. 2) The interchangeable wedgedheel covering device of claim 1, wherein said heel cover comprises aU-shaped configuration. 3) The interchangeable wedged heel coveringdevice of claim 1, further comprising a lip disposed on said upper endof said heel cover, wherein said lip extends inward and is adapted to bepositioned within a groove between said wedged heel and a shoe portion.4) An interchangeable wedged heel covering device, comprising: a heelcover comprising an interior surface, wherein said heel cover is shapedcorresponding to a shape of a wedged heel of a shoe; one or morefasteners secured to said heel cover so as to removably secure said heelcover to said wedged heel of said shoe. 5) The interchangeable wedgedheel covering device of claim 4, wherein said one or more fasteners isan adhesive disposed on said interior surface of said heel cover. 6) Theinterchangeable wedged heel covering device of claim 4, wherein saidheel cover is composed of cloth. 7) The interchangeable wedged heelcovering device of claim 4, wherein said heel cover is composed of aflexible material. 8) The interchangeable wedged heel covering device ofclaim 4, wherein said heel cover is triangular in shape. 9) Theinterchangeable wedged heel covering device of claim 4, wherein a loweredge of said heel cover includes one or more removable sections that areconnected along perforable lines of connections.